This was Week 1 of my new trajectory, and I'm having a wonderful time! It feels *so good* to have a goal, particularly one that feels a little beyond me, a little out of reach, but not quite so out of reach as to be hopeless. It gives me the motivation to keep working -- if I slack off, I definitely won't be able to build up to my goal -- while feeling empowered to get where I'm trying to go. I feel strong and brave and on the right track, and that is an awesome feeling.
I've really been enjoying being in the pool again. When I was swimming my first warmup last Tuesday I was thrilled to be splashing around in the water, and my technique kicked in, and by the time I'd swum the 700m in my swimming plan, I felt fresh enough to keep going, bringing in a full 1000m for my first workout. The next two days in the pool I challenged myself to add another 200m each day to the previous total, so I did my 700m workout, then pushed myself even more, so that last Saturday I was actually doubling the planned meters in the pool!
I knew that pushing myself at the beginning of a training regimen could be a bad plan -- you want to make sure you avoid injury, and don't fizzle out in pain and suffering -- so I paid close attention to how my body felt during and after the exercise, and so far, there's nothing but good feelings, the expected mild soreness, and endorphins! My swims for the upcoming week are 900m "minimum", so I'm going to see if I can do 1200m, 1400m, and 1600m!
(It should be noted that the plan I'm using intends to work your endurance up to swimming 1500m without stopping, each week increasing the amount of time you are challenged to swim without stopping, and I'm definitely taking stops and rests in what I'm doing right now, so even though I'm overshooting the meterage goals, the training plan will help me build the endurance I need!)
Exercise Goals: 30 min weight lifting & 30 min of interval training on a stationary bike 3x/week, swim training 3x per week. Rest 1 day. Hit 10,000 steps every day.
Last week:
Weights & Bike: M, W, F (3/3)
Swim Training: T, Th, Sa (3/3) 3600m total this week
10,000 steps: M, T, W, Th, F, Sa, Su (7/7)
What I struggled with last week:
This week felt really good, and I'm definitely grateful for that! As part of my plan I'm also getting up earlier, which is nice for my husband, since now I'm awake when he needs to get dressed, and he can have the lights on! I also enjoy that morning time with him, and I feel like I'm wasting less of my day. This means we need to get to bed earlier, though! We're both bad at that, but it feels so much better to get a full night's rest!
What I'm proud of last week:
This weekend I didn't blow my diet. Although I've been doing a pretty good job sticking to the right choices through the week, each weekend I've hit some serious setbacks when socializing. I'm grateful to a number of friends that I saw this weekend that helped me hit my calorie goals, from being willing to walk home with me to offering me a delicious salad when I dropped by for a chat. It's embarassing to constantly refuse people's kindness -- an offered cookie, a glass of wine -- and it's such a relief when friends know when not to offer and when not to insist on the treat. It's also nice when they know how to make the treat "affordable," like when we split a brownie three ways!
What I'm looking forward to this week:
I can't wait to get back in the pool this week! It was almost a disappointment that this morning was a home workout day, not a pool workout day. This week is going to be a little more challenging for my swims, since the pool is on March Break hours, and my usual morning time is only available on Tuesday. I'm going to try to fit in a Thursday after-work swim instead, if I can.